30 BEST Family Days Out Near Manchester (2026): Tried & Tested

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Both times I have been with my younger stepsons, we only managed half of the zoo in one visit. In summer it is easier, as you can bring a picnic and take breaks, but on wet school holiday days we were on the go nonstop and ran out of steam after a few hours. At least it meant we had a reason to come back the next year!

The baboons are a highlight, and if you are worried about them damaging your car, book the Baboon Bus Experienceso you can enjoy them stress free!

If you do not fancy driving around, or it is a lovely sunny day, there is also a Foot Safari through woodland past the tigers and other animal habitats. It is included with your ticket, so it is another great way to stretch out the day and make the most of your visit.

The monkey trail is three quarters of a mile, which is doable for most children, and you can take a pushchair. Best of all, you can go round as many times as you like. We went round once, then looped back to watch the feeding talk.

If you want a family day out near Manchester that does not cost too much, tickets are good value compared to a lot of attractions, and you save money by booking online in advance rather than paying on the day. They also have a great value annual membership.

There is a good playground, picnic areas and a cafe, and for a longer day out you can visit Trentham Gardens and Lake next door. Monkey Forest tickets often come with a discount on the same day as a Gardens visit.

It is a brilliant family day out near Manchester to get educated and entertained by wildlife, all while supporting the park’s conservation work. It is great for all ages and easy to add to a family Peak District day out. If you visit on a weekday, look out for their discounted ticket offers for afternoon entry and toddlers!

Alton Towers hardly needs an introduction. It is the UK’s biggest theme park, with rides for every age, from little ones to thrill seeking teens.

At around 1 hour 30 minutes from central Manchester, the drive is shorter than you might think, making it one of the best family days out near Manchester. The theme park is seasonal, so check the website for opening dates before you plan your trip.

Gulliver’s World is a bit dated and only has a few thrill rides but what I loved is that we went on a Saturday in May and there were no big queues so this is a huge benefit in comparison to the likes of Alton Towers and it will still give you a full day of rides and fun.

It is an enchanted wood based on the magical books by author Tom Blofeld, filled with slides, treehouses, zip wires and play areas, each with its own theme.

The focus is on PLAY, so as adults you get stuck in on the treehouses, slides and zip wires too, for a super fun family day out in Cheshire! It is open at weekends and in the school holidays, plus special Halloween and Christmas events, so check dates before you go.

With sites all around North Wales, it makes a brilliant family day out from Manchester. By the time you have driven there, had your adventure and grabbed lunch in a nearby village, you will head home after a full day packed with adrenaline and the drive from Manchester to North Wales really isn’t that bad.

This is a kids’ and adults’ outdoor play paradise, as everyone gets stuck in. That also means there are no spectator tickets, so everyone pays to go in, though under 5s go free.

It is open daily, with last entry to the trail mid afternoon, so arrive early to make the most of it. Parking is free, there is food on site and the whole site is cashless. My top tip? Wear old clothes and wellies or trainers you do not mind getting muddy, because you will!

Looking for more ideas south of Manchester? See my guide to the best family days out in Cheshire.

There is a brilliant mix of indoor and outdoor play areas for different ages. Inside there is soft play and Honeycomb Canyon, a huge indoor sand and water play area, so it is a great rainy day out near Manchester too. Outside you can mine for gemstones, play mini golf at Strawberry Falls, ride go karts and run wild in the play areas.

You can go again and again and do something different each time, or make a full day of it. Entry is low cost and you pay for the activities you want to do, or save with a play pass. It is open every day, and it is just as fun for the parents (especially when it comes to the ice cream!).

Kenyon Hall is near Warrington, so if you live in South Manchester like me, it is one of the easiest things to do with kids near Manchester, just 30 minutes away.

There is a cafe, deli and garden centre on site, so it is easy to make a full day of it. Most events are ticketed, so check the website before you go. I recommend signing up to their newsletter so you hear about events early. I always forget when strawberry season starts and then miss it, but this way they remind you!

There is loads to keep children busy outside, including tractor rides, jumping pillows, zip wires and mazes (some are seasonal), plus children’s entertainment shows. There are plenty of picnic spots, or you can eat in the cafe.

If the British weather behaves, this is a really fun family day out near Manchester. Activities are aimed at ages 4 to 12, and although it is a farm, there is no animal petting here.

There are over 25 different types of animals to meet, from the classic cows, pigs, goats and sheep to some more unusual residents like meerkats, llamas and even snakes. Little ones can burn off energy on the tractor rides, bouncy castles and adventure playground too, and there is a cafe on site for lunch.

It is open all year round from 10am to 5pm (closed only on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day), so it works whatever the season. It does get extra busy in spring when the baby animals arrive and in the school holidays. With the West Pennine Moors right behind the farm, it is also easy to add a short countryside walk to your day.

On our last visit in spring we saw lots of lambs and baby goats! A highlight is feeding the animals carrots, which you can buy at the farm, and you can also book in to groom a pony. Alongside the animal pens there is a big outdoor play area, tractor rides and even a small soft play area for toddlers, which is handy on a rainy day.

They put on themed events in the school holidays, including Farmfest in the summer and a big Halloween Pumpkin Festival in October. The farm is seasonal, reopening each February, and outside the school holidays it is usually weekends only, so check before you go. Book online in advance for the best prices.

You start in the pretty village of Matlock Bath, and the adventure begins straight away as you ride the cable car from the valley up to the hilltop. At the top there is a whole site to explore, including two famous show caverns, viewpoints, cool play areas, exhibitions, shops, a sculpture trail and a butterfly trail.

Your ticket includes guided tours of both caverns, and my stepsons loved going inside. It is also a nice break for parents, as the guide does the entertaining for a while! It is a brilliant day out for all ages with some great play ares for kids too and is surprisingly accessible considering it sits on top of a hill. The second time we went, we had the Pram and it was fine.

It is also one of the best family days out from Manchester by train, as the entrance is right by Matlock Bath station. You will need to change trains on the way, so check The Trainline for the best route.

You can visit show caves with a ticket and guided tour, like Speedwell Cavern and Blue John Cavern, which feel like a proper family day out. Or, for one of the best free family days out near Manchester, head to Thor’s Cave, which anyone can walk up to and climb inside.

Here is my guide on How To Do the Thor’s Cave Walk, an Easy Walk in the Peak District.

Manchester and the areas around it are full of National Trust sites. Being a National Trust Member saves you a lot of money and gets you outside all year round, because your day out is already paid for!

Click here to look into the National Trust Annual Membership and give your family a whole year’s worth of days out!

There are so many great walks in the Peak District, but I love this one because it is fairly flat for children and the circulars walk is rewarding without being too challenging and the views are still great!

Here is my full guide on How To Do the Dovestone Reservoir Walk, an easy circular walk in the Peak District.

You can bring your own bikes or hire them from the bike hire shop on site. Hiring can add up for a family of four or five, but the trails are fantastic and feel really safe for cycling. Delamere Forest also has a Go Ape on site, one of the closest Go Apes to Manchester, with treetop challenges for different ages.

Many of the trails are covered by trees, so it is a decent option even when it is drizzly!

One of the best is climbing Pendle Hill. Here is my guide on How To Do the Pendle Hill Walk, with easy and harder routes. If you are walking with younger children, I recommend the easier route.

Pendle is famous for the Pendle Witch Trials, which children love learning about, and do not miss the Pendle Sculpture Trail nearby, which is great for kids to explore. To make a full day of it, head into nearby Clitheroe and visit Clitheroe Castle. For more walks in the area, see my guide to the best Ribble Valley walks.

The main entrance can get busy, but the beach stretches for around 2.5 miles, so it is easy to get away from the crowdsand find a quiet spot.

The big draw is Another Place, Antony Gormley’s 100 iron figures dotted along the sand and out into the sea. Kids love spotting them and counting how many they can find!

We love coming here outside the summer months too for a bracing family walk. It is also one of the easiest family days out near Liverpool, so it is a great place to meet friends who live that way.

We had a great afternoon at Southport Pleasureland, which has rides to suit children of all ages, plus plenty of games and classic British funfair fun. Afterwards we went for a walk on the beach, which is one of the most unusual beaches in the UK because of its tide. We walked and walked and never reached the water! Visit Southport even jokes about the myth that you cannot see the sea from Southport, though it does come in at times.

Either way, it is a brilliant place for kids to run as far as they like. Just note that Southport Pier is closed for a major restoration and is due to reopen in 2027.

You probably know Blackpool for its Pleasure Beach, Blackpool Tower and donkey rides on the sand, but it has had major investment in recent years, so there are even more family things to do in Blackpool, like Blackpool Zoo and the Model Village. There is also lovely countryside nearby, like the Forest of Bowland.

So you could enjoy seaside fun in Blackpool in the morning, then head out into the countryside in the afternoon before driving home.

It is also one of the best family days out from Manchester by train, with direct trains from Manchester Piccadilly. I always use The Trainline to find the best tickets, and they often have family deals, especially in the holidays, so check out The Trainline here!

I love Llandudno for how easy it is and its traditional seaside feel. Once there, you can explore the huge beach, promenade and pier, plus all the cafes and shops in town. For more to do, ride the Great Orme Tramway (or drive to the top and walk around), try the Llandudno Snowsports Centre for skiing, tubing and the toboggan run, or explore the other beaches nearby.

Kids move between themed zones, from role play areas where they can be vets or shopkeepers, to a Slime Factory where they make slime, snow and bath bombs to take home, plus art areas where they can even splatter paint on a real car. There are live science shows throughout the day too.

There are now two locations near Manchester:

• Imagine That! Liverpool is the original, now based at Wavertree Technology Park on the edge of the city. It has free parking on site and is just off the end of the M62, so it is an easy drive from Manchester.
• Imagine That! Wigan opened in 2026 in the old Marks and Spencer building on Standishgate, right in the town centre by the Grand Arcade. It is the closest option for families in North and West Manchester, and you can easily combine it with lunch and a bit of shopping in town.

Both work as a brilliant rainy day option, as everything is indoors. Sessions are bookable online and opening days vary outside the school holidays (with special toddler days at times), so check the website for the location you want before you go.

It sits right by the Seacombe Ferry Terminal, so you can arrive in style on a Mersey Ferry from Liverpool. It is designed for children up to 14, with interactive zones all about bodies, homes and nature, plus a dedicated area for under 7s. Allow 2 to 3 hours to explore.

Like most museums, they run events in the school holidays and bank holidays, so it is a great pick if you are looking for things to do with kids near Manchester in the holidays, or things to do in Liverpool with kids!

There are endless things to do in Eryri with kids. Here are a few of my favourites:

• Zip World is great for an adrenaline rush, with several sites in and around Eryri.
• We took the boys horse riding with Snowdonia Riding Stables, who offer rides of different lengths through the countryside in a safe setting for children.
• The village of Llanberis is packed with family attractions. The National Slate Museum is a great place to learn about the area, and then you can hop aboard the Llanberis Lake Railway.
• If your children are a bit older, there is always Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) to climb! Here is my guide to climbing Yr Wyddfa from Pen y Pass.
• Or take the Snowdon Mountain Railway, which runs to the summit from around May to October (early season trains stop at Clogwyn, three quarters of the way up).

We hired canoes from TNR Outdoors for two hours to paddle along the canal and right over the aqueduct, 38 metres above the ground! It was not as scary as you might think. There is always a chance of tipping with canoeing, but we felt very safe and the canal is not too deep. The 2 boys loved it and I was 7 months pregnant when we did it!

Alternatively, you can park up and walk across or take a canal boat trip. Llangollen itself is a lovely little Welsh town full of colour and charm, and if you want to wear the kids out even more, walk up to Castell Dinas Bran!

It’s not super close to Manchester but we did the drive in one day easily. The reason it makes this list is the low entry price and great value family ticket compared to a lot of days out. Head into the fields and follow the kids’ trail activities, let them loose in the play area, then grab lunch in the cafe. You can even hire a golf cart for an extra cost if little legs get tired.

It is only around 20 minutes from Llangollen, so you could easily pair it with the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct for a full day out without a huge price tag.

30. Mother Shipton’s Cave, Knaresborough

• Where is it? Knaresborough, Yorkshire, just outside Harrogate
• Website Link

How about England’s oldest visitor attraction for your family day out? Head over to Yorkshire, near Harrogate, and you will find the pretty town of Knaresborough, home to Mother Shipton’s Cave, a brilliant family attraction.

As well as the cave where Mother Shipton is said to have been born, there is a park with a museum and play area, so you can spend hours wandering the enchanted woods and learning about Mother Shipton and the area, afterwards, you can head into Knaresborough, see the iconic viaduct and even take one of the boats out on the river. It makes for a great full family day out in Yorkshire from Manchester.

Thank you for reading! I hope this post has given you lots of ideas for family days out near Manchester.

My related posts you might like:

• 20 Best Family Days Out in Manchester: Tried & Tested
• 22 Best Day Trips From Manchester: By Car, Train & Tour
• One Day in Manchester: The Perfect Itinerary
• 48 Places To Visit in Wales
• 10 Easy Lake District Walks: Beginner, Short, Flat and Circular Walks